Bears sign Ryan Potulny

The Hershey Bears announced Sunday that the club has signed forward Ryan Potulny to an American Hockey League contract.

Potulny, 29, returns to Chocolatetown after signing with Avangard Omsk (KHL) in May. He did not appear in any games.

Following his signing by the Washington Capitals to a two-year deal in July 2011, Potulny played a total of 127 regular-season games in a Hershey sweater. In his first season with the Bears, the 6-foot, 179-pound native of Grand Forks, N.D., led the team and tied for third in the AHL with 33 goals. His 65 points placed him third among his Hershey teammates. Of his 33 tallies, 19 came on the power play, which paced the entire American Hockey League. Potulny also led the Bears with five game-winning goals.

In 2012-13, Potulny led the Bears with 19 goals, while his 41 points ranked fourth on the squad.

Before joining the Bears, Potulny helped the Binghamton Senators to the 2011 Calder Cup championship, leading the AHL with 14 goals and 26 points during the postseason.

Potulny has also appeared in 126 NHL games with Philadelphia, Edmonton, Chicago and Ottawa, registering 49 points (22 goals, 27 assists). He was originally selected by the Philadelphia Flyers in the third round (87th overall) in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft.